Smoking among the health professionals at Can Tho Central Hospital

ABSTRACT

Background: Health professionals set important examples through their behavior to their patients, so they need to have enough knowledge on the harmful effects of smoking. Some studies already exist on smoking among the health professionals in Bach Mai Hospital and Hue Central Hospital, but there were no such studies in the Can Tho Central Hospital. Objectives: To investigate the smoking status and identify several factors relating to cigarette use among health professionals at Can Tho Central Hospital. Subjects and method: Cross-sectional descriptive study using adapted questionnaire from a global survey on tobacco use among health professionals. Results: Overall, the smoking rate was approximately 6%, no higher than the results from other studies. It was predominant among men. Physicians display a greater smoking proportion relation to nurses, with the highest rate in the group aged 30 to 39 years of age. People who do not smoke are more likely to demonstrate a better knowledge base, belief and attitude to smoking than those who smoke. One major predictor of smoking is attitude towards tobacco control; however, a no smoking policy inside the hospital is not significantly associated with the practice of smoking. Conclusion: The smoking rate among health professionals from Can Tho Central Hospital is much lower than that among other professions and among health professionals in Bach Mai and Hue Central Hospital. The findings highlight the importance of promoting a positive attitude towards tobacco control initiatives in order to reduce smoking among health professionals at hospital settings.